I was just thinking the same thing. My dad worked for the Naval Air Rework Facility in Norfolk, VA as an electrical engineer. He was in charge of the F-14 division. My heart always swells when I see any kind of display of military aviation. F-14’s and A-6’s were a common site flying low over our house on their way to NAS Oceana to do a touch and go. We sure have come a long way since the 70’s and 80’s.

I take it back. It’s possible the photo was not Photoshopped. I was assuming the photos were taken from the ground. If the photo was take from another aircraft, the P-51 could be above and in front of the F-22.

11
posted on 03/02/2012 6:54:03 AM PST
by 50mm
(Trust nobody and you'll never be disappointed.)

Great pic, thanks.
About 10 yrs ago I was touring the shop where Roush builds their Nascar engines.
Off in a corner was special tooling where they were building V12s for Jack’s P-51. Very impressive hardware.
Not sure after two near fatal crashes if he still flies them or not.

Remember, the F-22 has a Y-tail that has a steep angle. From the looks of it, the sun in the picture is high and toward the nose of the aircraft. The F-22 only has a significant shadow below the port side tail.

I zoomed in on the Hi-Res version of the photo and found no unusual artifacts. I'm convinced the photo is real.

31
posted on 03/02/2012 9:25:18 AM PST
by 50mm
(Trust nobody and you'll never be disappointed.)

I agree, that prop indicates the last and most powerful engine/thrust combination that the P-51 was upgraded to. (I believe it was 1800 HP?) There are also some newer racing mods that surpass those improvements.

36
posted on 03/02/2012 10:39:14 AM PST
by PSYCHO-FREEP
(If you come to a fork in the road, take it........)

In my earlier Alaska flying days, I belonged to a flight club that owned a P-51D. I have logged just over 20 hours in one.

Believe me, if you can ever swing it, do whatever you have to FLY ONE before you pass on! You won't be disappointed!

The second you hit the switch, the sound of that power plant coming to life, and the sound it makes in the Cockpit will make you just want to sit and listen for a while, before you even lead the throttle in to taxi.

You can't go to full throttle either, until your takeoff roll is about half way complete. The torque and “P” factor is violent if you make the mistake of throttling up too quickly.

But once she is in the air, you will be awe stricken at the ease and beauty of this tremendous aircraft. Nothing handles as smoothly or gracefully. The engine and airframe are as one, and the response is indescribable.

The P-51 is somewhat prone to drift off of trim, so it is important to stay on top of it, since they are hard to handle if they are out of trim. Especially when landing. Wheel landings can be rather squirrely, (Because of the small vertical stabilizer and rudder) so it is best to flare long and touch the runway in a semi-three point. The nose also blocks out most of your forward vision after the tail wheel touches down. So be sure you master a side vision landing/taxi technique before you fly one.

This is no aircraft for a limited tricycle geared trainee either. It will eat your lunch in a big hurry. Nothing but the most experienced conventional gear pilots should attempt to solo in one.

But even so, you sound like you have the necessary experience to handle it. Good luck in your pursuit! You will love that decision. I guarantee it.

39
posted on 03/02/2012 11:17:42 AM PST
by PSYCHO-FREEP
(If you come to a fork in the road, take it........)

I won’t be soloing. I don’t have a pilot’s license. I would be flying backseat in a TF-51. LOL

I work with aircraft and I’ve flown in small aircraft for a couple of hundred hours or so as part of my job. I have taken the controls of a Cirrus SR-22 and a Cessna 170 while already airborne in each. I think I know enough about flying to solo. I just haven’t taken the time to get my formal training and license.

41
posted on 03/02/2012 11:49:09 AM PST
by 50mm
(Trust nobody and you'll never be disappointed.)

Was that a 170B? (Round tail) They are a fun aircraft, that is if you take that worthless Continental 0-300A3 off the firewall and replace with an 0-360 Lycoming. I owned one of those for a decade and used it all over Alaska. It was a great aircraft!

44
posted on 03/02/2012 12:18:28 PM PST
by PSYCHO-FREEP
(If you come to a fork in the road, take it........)

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